09/03/07 Monday Questions

Welcome to Vine to Wine this is your host Linda Moran. In seems inevitable - whenever I am at a party and someone new finds out I am in the wine business they start asking questions about wine. This past week I got a few very interesting questions which I will answer today on the air. At a recent party I met a man who was very interested in wine and asked me quite a few questions. First of all he wanted to know, what is Marsala? Marsala is Italy's most famous fortified wine. It is produced on the island of Sicily and is about 17 to 20 percent alcohol. The better ones such as Marsala Superiori or Marsala Vergini are reminiscent of top quality Sherry. The next thing he asked was if Sake was wine or spirits? Well technically Sake is made by fermenting rice and the alcohol is about 12 to 16 percent so it is right in there with the alcohol content of wine. It is usually served warm, however, my understanding is that better Sake should be served chilled. And his last question before I cut him off and started changing the subject was what is Claret? Well Claret has taken on a few meanings, it is often the British term for French red Bordeaux and it can be used to describe a light red or blush wine whose fermentation has employed very slight maceration of the grape skins offering color but not much tannin. These wines are usually meant to be drunk young. And that is it for those questioning minds. Remember to send your wine questions to Linda at vine to wine dot net and thank you for joining me on today's Vine to Wine.